Digital asset hosting and distribution via digital asset playlists

ABSTRACT

A first collection of content that includes digital assets is maintained on a host computer. Based on a determination that a portable media device becomes connected to a client computer that is separate from the host computer and that interacts with the host computer, initiation of a synchronization of the first collection of content resident on the host computer with a second collection of content on the portable media device is automatically triggered. The synchronization of the first collection with the second collection includes a transfer of at least one of the digital assets from the host computer to the client computer to the portable media device and is triggered and conditioned upon the determination that the portable media device has become connected to the client computer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/082,862 filed on Apr. 8, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/556,529 filed on Nov. 3, 2006, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/732,645 filed onNov. 3, 2005 and 60/732,635 filed on Nov. 3, 2005, each of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to hosting and distributing digital assets.

BACKGROUND

It may be useful to store digital assets on a host computer and totransfer such hosted digital assets to client computers or portablemedia devices.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a first collection of content that includes digitalassets is maintained on a host computer. Based on a determination that aportable media device becomes connected to a client computer that isseparate from the host computer and that interacts with the hostcomputer, initiation of a synchronization of the first collection ofcontent resident on the host computer with a second collection ofcontent on the portable media device is automatically triggered. Thesynchronization of the first collection with the second collectionincludes a transfer of at least one of the digital assets from the hostcomputer to the client computer to the portable media device and istriggered and conditioned upon the determination that the portable mediadevice has become connected to the client.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first collection may be a hosted user account, the secondcollection may be a portable media device user account, and the digitalassets may be songs. In addition, the second collection may not beidentical to the first collection.

The synchronization of the first collection of content with the secondcollection of content may include a synchronization of the firstcollection of content resident on the host computer with a thirdcollection of content resident on the client computer and asynchronization of the third collection of content resident on theclient computer with the second collection of content resident on theportable media device. The synchronization of the first collection withthe third collection may include a transfer of the at least one digitalasset from the host computer to the client computer, and thesynchronization of the third collection with the second collection mayinclude a transfer of the at least one digital asset from the clientcomputer to the portable media device. The third collection may be aclient user account.

In another aspect, a first collection of content including digitalassets is maintained on a host computer. The first collection of contenton the host computer is automatically modified and, in response toautomatically modifying the first collection of content on the hostcomputer, initiation of a synchronization of the first collection ofcontent resident on the host computer with a second collection ofcontent resident on a portable media device connected to a clientcomputer that is separated from the host computer and that interactswith the host computer is automatically initiated. The synchronizationof the first collection with the second collection includes a transferof at least one of the digital assets from the host computer to theclient computer to the portable media device.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first collection may be a hosted user account, the secondcollection may be a portable media device user account, and the digitalassets may be songs.

The synchronization of the first collection of content resident on thehost computer with the second collection of content on the portablemedia device may include a synchronization of the first collection ofcontent resident on the host computer with a third collection of contentresident on the client computer and a synchronization of the thirdcollection of content resident on the client computer with the secondcollection of content resident on the portable media device. Thesynchronization of the first collection with the third collection mayinclude the transfer of the at least one digital asset from the hostcomputer to the client computer, and the synchronization of the thirdcollection with the second collection may include the transfer of the atleast one digital asset from the client computer to the portable mediadevice.

A second collection of content may be maintained on the host computer,and the first collection of content may be linked to the secondcollection of content. In response to a determination that the secondcollection of content has been modified, the first collection of contentmay be automatically modified to reflect the content of the secondcollection. The first collection of content may be a dynamicallygenerated playlist, and automatically modifying the first collection ofcontent may include updating the dynamically generated playlist.

In another aspect, a system includes a client computer that is separatefrom a host computer, and a client application resident on the clientcomputer. The client computer is to configured to interact with the hostcomputer and a portable media device. The host computer includes ahosted collection of content that includes at least one digital asset.The portable media device includes a device collection of content and isconfigured to enable the portable media device to be connected to theclient computer. The client application is configured to determine thatthe portable media device has become connected to the client computerand to automatically trigger initiation of a synchronization of thehosted collection with the device collection based on a determinationthat the portable media device has become connected to the clientcomputer. The synchronization of the hosted collection with the devicecollection includes a transfer of at least one of the digital assetsfrom the host computer to the client computer to the portable mediadevice and is triggered and conditioned upon the determination that theportable media device has become connected to the client computer.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the client computer may include a client collection of content,and the synchronization of the hosted collection with the devicecollection may include a synchronization of the hosted collection withthe client collection and a synchronization of the client collectionwith the device collection. The synchronization of the hosted collectionwith the client collection may include the transfer of the at least onedigital asset from the host computer to the client computer, and thesynchronization of the client collection with the device collection mayinclude the transfer of the at least one digital asset from the clientcomputer to the portable media device.

The client computer may include a client collection of content. Theclient application may be configured to automatically initiate an updateof the content of the client collection to reflect the content of thehosted collection on a periodic basis. Additionally or alternatively,the client application may be configured to automatically initiate anupdate of the content of the client collection to reflect the content ofthe hosted collection in response to the client computer being poweredon or in response to a user instruction.

In another aspect, a system includes a host computer including a hostedcollection of content that includes at least one digital asset. The hostcomputer is configured to interact with a client computer that isseparate from the host computer, and the client computer is configuredto interact with a portable media device. The portable media deviceincludes a device collection of content and is configured to enable theportable media device to be connected to the client computer. Inaddition, the client computer is further configured to determine thatthe portable media device has become connected to the client computerand to automatically trigger initiation of a synchronization of thehosted collection with the device collection based on a determinationthat the portable media device has become connected to the clientcomputer. The synchronization of the hosted collection with the devicecollection includes a transfer of at least one of the digital assetsfrom the host computer to the client computer to the portable mediadevice and is triggered and conditioned upon the determination that theportable media device has become connected to the client computer.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the hosted collection may include a hosted user account thatincludes a dynamically generated playlist, and the host computer may beconfigured to modify the dynamically generated playlist automatically.

The client computer may include a client collection of content, and thesynchronization of the hosted collection with the device collection mayinclude a synchronization of the hosted collection with the clientcollection and a synchronization of the client collection with thedevice collection. The synchronization of the hosted collection with theclient collection may include the transfer of the at least one digitalasset from the host computer to the client computer, and thesynchronization of the client collection with the device collection mayinclude the transfer of the at least one digital asset from the clientcomputer to the portable media device.

The client computer may include a client collection of content, and thehost computer may be configured to automatically initiate an update ofthe content of the client collection to reflect the content of thehosted collection on a periodic basis. Additionally or alternatively,the client computer may be configured to automatically initiate anupdate of the content of the client collection to reflect the content ofthe hosted collection in response to the client computer being poweredon or the host computer may be configured to automatically initiate anupdate of the content of the client collection to reflect the content ofthe hosted collection in response to a user instruction.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to determine ifa portable media device becomes connected to a client computer that isseparate from a host computer and that interacts with the host computer,and automatically trigger initiation of a synchronization of a firstcollection of content that includes digital assets and is resident onthe host computer with a second collection of content on the portablemedia device based on a determination that the portable media device hasbecome connected to the client computer. The synchronization of thefirst collection with the second collection includes a transfer of atleast one of the digital assets from the host computer to the clientcomputer to the portable media device and is triggered and conditionedupon the determination that the portable media device has becomeconnected to the client computer.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first collection may be a hosted user account, the secondcollection may be a portable media device user account, and the digitalassets may be songs. In addition, the second collection may not beidentical to the first collection.

The synchronization of the first collection of content with the secondcollection of content may include a synchronization of the firstcollection of content resident on the host computer with a thirdcollection of content resident on the client computer and asynchronization of the third collection of content resident on theclient computer with the second collection of content resident on theportable media device. The synchronization of the first collection withthe third collection may include a transfer of the at least one digitalasset from the host computer to the client computer, and thesynchronization of the third collection with the second collection mayinclude a transfer of the at least one digital asset from the clientcomputer to the portable media device. The third collection may be aclient user account.

The computer program product may include instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processor to automatically initiate an update of thecontent of the third collection to reflect the content of the firstcollection on a periodic basis. Additionally or alternatively, thecomputer program product may include instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to automatically initiate an update of the contentof the third collection to reflect the content of the first collectionin response to the client computer being powered on or in response to auser instruction.

Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, amethod or process, or computer software on a computer-accessible medium.The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital asset hosting and distributionsystem.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating the creation of adynamically generated playlist.

FIG. 3a is a diagram of a process for updating a client account and aportable media device account.

FIG. 3b is a flow chart of a process for updating a portable mediadevice account.

FIGS. 4a-4c are flow charts illustrating a process for updating a clientaccount and a portable media device account.

FIGS. 5a-5d are block diagrams of a digital asset hosting anddistribution system conceptually illustrating the creation of a hostedaccount and replicating the hosted account on a client computer and aportable media device.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one implementation, a digital asset hosting and distribution systemincludes a host computer that hosts a library of digital assets and anumber of personal accounts. The digital assets may be songs or anyother type of computer-readable digital files including, for example,text files, audio files, picture files, or video files. A personalaccount may include individual digital assets, playlists, or acombination of the two. Playlists are generally collections of one ormore individual digital assets.

Playlists may be created manually by a user or they may be generateddynamically (e.g., automatically) by the system. Dynamically generatedplaylists are generated (e.g., compiled) by the system by selecting asubset of digital assets and perhaps, thereafter, arranging the selecteddigital assets in a meaningful order. While dynamically generatedplaylists generally are not generated by users of the system, they maybe generated by selecting digital assets from one or more user generatedplaylists and/or by combining one or more user generated playlists.

Playlists that are generated dynamically by the system may be targetedfor all users of the system, they may be targeted for a subset of usersof the system, or they may be tailored specifically for an individualuser. Criteria used to generate playlists specifically tailored for anindividual user may be manually identified by the user or gleaned fromthe user's activity (e.g., from the user's search patterns or thedigital assets accessed by the user).

A user may subscribe to one or more playlists created by other users ofthe system or by the system itself. When the user subscribes to aplaylist, a copy of the playlist is stored in the user's hosted account.When the subscribed-to playlist is modified, the copy of the playliststored in the user's account is updated accordingly to reflect themodification. In some implementations, the subscribed-to list may itselfbe based, at least in part, on another subscribed-to list and/or thesubscribed-to list may be based, at least in part, on a dynamicallygenerated playlist. Additionally or alternatively, a user may create aplaylist by subscribing to two or more other playlists. In such ascenario, the user's playlist may include copies of both of thesubscribed-to playlists merged into a single playlist. Then, when eitherof the subscribed-to playlists is modified, the user's playlist isupdated accordingly.

The ability to subscribe to playlists coupled with the availability ofdynamically generated playlists allows a user to receive continuouslyupdated content without having to manually modify his own account. Forexample, a user can receive continuously updated content without evermanually adding or deleting digital assets from the user's account.

The digital asset hosting and distribution system also may allow a userto replicate the user's hosted account on one or more client computersand/or on one or more portable media devices. Updates to a user's hostedaccount may be downloaded automatically to the user's client accountand/or synchronized automatically to the user's portable media deviceaccount. Consequently, the digital asset hosting and distribution systemmay enable the user to maintain client accounts and/or portable mediadevice accounts that mimic the user's hosted account. The ability toautomatically update the user's client account and/or portable mediadevice account allows the user to receive continuously updated contenton the user's client computer and/or the user's portable media devicewithout having to manually modify the user's hosted account, the user'sclient account, or the user's portable media device account.

FIG. 1 is an example of a digital asset hosting and distribution system101. A host computer 101 includes a library of digital assets 102, useraccount #1 104 and user account #2 106. The library of digital assets102 includes digital assets 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124,126, 128, 130, 132, and 134. User account #1 104 includes individualdigital assets 130, 132, and 134, user #1's personal playlist 136, user#2's personal playlist 138, and a system generated playlist 140. Useraccount #2 includes a personal playlist 142 and a system generatedplaylist 144.

Host computer 101 is connected to a client computer 146 over a network148. Generally, client computer 146 is located remotely from hostcomputer 101 and is not associated with host computer 101. For example,client computer 146 may be a personal or laptop computer located in auser's home or office that is capable of accessing host computer 101over the Internet. Client computer 146 includes client account #1 148, aclient application 150, a synchronization engine 152, and a browser(e.g., a web browser) 154. As illustrated, a portable media device 156is connected to client computer 146 and includes a portable media deviceaccount #1 158. The connection between portable media device 156 andclient computer 146 may be wired (e.g., a USB connection) or theconnection may be wireless (e.g., a Bluetooth connection). Importantly,the connection between portable media device 156 and client computer 146need not be permanent. Portable media device 156 may be connected toclient computer 146 in order to receive digital assets transferred fromhost computer 101 or client computer 146 to portable media device 156.After digital assets have been transferred to portable media device 156,portable media device 156 can be disconnected from client computer 146and the transferred digital assets may be accessed (e.g., played ordisplayed) on the portable media device 156). The client application 150and the synchronization engine 152 facilitate replicating and updatinghosted accounts on client computer 146 and portable media device 156.

Individual user accounts (e.g., hosted accounts 104 and 106) may becreated and maintained on host computer 101. This allows users of thedigital asset hosting and distribution system 100 to compile, store, andaccess personalized collections of digital assets available from thelibrary of digital assets 102. For the purposes of illustration,consider that user account #1 104 is associated with user #1 (not shown)and user account #2 106 is associated with user #2 (not shown).

Individual user accounts may include individual digital assets as wellas groupings or collections of digital assets (i.e., playlists). Forexample, user #1's hosted account 104 includes individual digital assets130, 132, 134 and playlists 136, 138, and 140 and user #2's hostedaccount includes playlists 142 and 144. An individual user account mayinclude actual copies of the digital assets and playlists stored in theuser account. Additionally or alternatively, the individual user accountmay include records that point to the corresponding digital assets inthe library of digital assets 102.

Playlists may include one or more digital assets selected and arrangedin a particular order. For example, personal playlist 136 represents acollection of digital assets selected and arranged by user #1 andpersonal playlist #2 142 represents a collection of digital assetsselected and arranged by user #2. In contrast, system generatedplaylists 140 and 144 represent collections of digital assets selectedand arranged by host computer 101.

An individual user of the digital asset hosting and distribution system100 can subscribe to (e.g., link to) one or more other users' playlists.When a user subscribes to another user's playlist, a copy of thesubscribed-to playlist is created in the user's individual user accountsuch that the user can readily access the subscribed-to playlist. Inaddition, when the subscribed-to playlist is modified, a correspondingupdate is propagated through the host computer 101 to the copy of thesubscribed-to playlist stored in the user's hosted account.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, user #1 subscribes to user #2's personalplaylist 142. Consequently, a copy 138 of user #2's personal playlist142 is stored in user #1's account 104. When user #2's personal playlist142 is modified by user #2, the copy 138 of user #2's personal playlist142 is updated correspondingly. For example, user #2's personal playlist142 may include a collection of songs from the 1980s, including songsrecorded by bands such as Def Leppard, Abba, Poison, and Bon Jovi. Ifuser #2 decides to delete all songs recorded by Abba from his personalplaylist 142, all songs recorded by Abba also will be deleted from thecopy 138 of user #2's personal playlist 142 stored in user #1's hostedaccount 104. Similarly, if user #2 decides to add a number of songsrecorded by Warrant to his personal playlist 142, the songs recorded byWarrant that are added to user #2's personal playlist 142 also will beadded to the copy 138 of user #2's playlist 142 stored in user #1'shosted account.

An individual user's account also may include one or more playlists thatare generated or updated dynamically (e.g., automatically) by the hostcomputer 101. For example, user #1's hosted account 104 includes systemgenerated playlist 140 and user #2's hosted account 106 includes systemgenerated playlist 144.

Some playlists that are generated dynamically by host computer 101 maybe user specific. For example, host computer 101 may generate a “DailyPlaylist” for a particular user that includes a list of songs targetedto that user based on that user's personal interests. The host computer101 may generate a new “Daily Playlist” for each user on a daily basis.The host computer 101 may determine the user's personal interests basedon information supplied by the user, or additionally or alternatively,by monitoring the user's personal activity. For example, the hostcomputer 101 may determine the user's personal preferences based on thedigital assets stored in the user's hosted account, based on the digitalassets accessed most frequently by the user, based on the digital assetsbrowsed by the user, and/or based on search queries for digital assetsperformed by the user.

Other playlists that are generated dynamically by the host computer 101may be intended for multiple users. For example, host computer 101 maygenerate a daily “Top 50 Playlist” intended for multiple users thatincludes the fifty currently most popular songs available from thelibrary of digital assets 102 or a “New Releases Playlist” intended topromote newly released songs available from the library of digitalassets 102.

A user can access host computer 101 from any computer connected to thenetwork 148. After accessing the host computer 101, the user can browsethe library of digital assets 102, browse other users' accounts, and/orupdate or reconfigure the user's personal account.

For example, user #1 can access host computer 101 using client computer146. After client computer 146 establishes a connection with hostcomputer 101, user #1 may be prompted to enter a username and/orpassword in order to be granted access to host computer 101. Hostcomputer 101 may use the username and/or password entered by user #1 toverify user #1's identity and/or to associate user #1 with user #1'shosted account 104.

After being granted access to host computer 101, user #1 can useresources available on the host computer (e.g., the library of digitalassets 102 and other users' personal accounts) to build, modify, and/orreconfigure user #1's hosted account 104. For instance, user #1 can usethe browser 154 to browse the library of digital assets 102 or user #2'shosted account 106. By browsing other user's accounts, user #1 may beexposed to digital assets of interest to user #1 but that user #1 wouldnot have been exposed to otherwise. While browsing, user #1 can addindividual digital assets to user #1's hosted account 104 from thelibrary of digital assets 102 or from user #2's hosted account 106. Inaddition, while browsing, user #1 can subscribe to playlists stored inthe library of digital assets 102 or user #2's hosted account 106. Whileconnected to the host computer 101, user #1 also can delete individualdigital assets from user #1's hosted account 104. Furthermore, user #1can create new personal playlists within user #1's hosted account 104,modify existing playlists within user #1's hosted account 104, orreconfigure his/her personal account settings. However, even if user #1does not modify, reconfigure, or otherwise update his/her hosted account104, the content (e.g., digital assets) stored in user #1's hostedaccount 104 may be continually refreshed when user #2's playlist 142 ismodified or when dynamically generated playlist 140 is updated. In otherwords, subscribed-to and dynamically generated playlists provide a userof the digital asset hosting and distribution system 100 with a sourceof continually refreshed content (e.g., digital assets) withoutrequiring the user to manually modify, reconfigure, or otherwise updatehis/her hosted account.

The digital asset hosting and distribution system 100 allows users toreplicate their hosted accounts on one or more client computers and/orone or more portable media devices. For example, as illustrated in FIG.1, client account #1 148 on client computer 146 represents a replica ofuser #1's hosted account 104. Similarly, portable media device account#1 158 on portable media device 156 represents a replica of user #1'shosted account 104. In one implementation, the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 automatically updates client account 148 and/orportable media device account 158 such that client account 148 and/orportable media device account 158 match user #1's hosted account 104.Additionally or alternatively, user #1 can instruct the digital assethosting and distribution system 100 manually to update client account148 and portable media device account 158 to reflect the current contentof user #1's hosted account 104.

The ability to replicate hosted account 104 on client computer 146and/or portable media device 156 allows user #1 to access (e.g., play ordisplay) digital assets stored in user #1's hosted account 104 even whenuser #1 is offline (i.e., not connected to host computer 101 overnetwork 148). Moreover, automatic updates of client computer account 148and/or portable media device account 158 to reflect the content of user#1's hosted account 104 provides user #1 with a source of continuallyrefreshed content on client computer 146 and/or portable media device156 without requiring user #1 to transfer new content to client computer146 and/or portable media device 156 manually.

Client account 148 and portable media device account 158 may be, butneed not be, exact replicas of user #1's hosted account 138. Forexample, client account 148 and/or portable media device account 158 maynot allocate as much memory space for the storage of digital assets asuser #1's hosted account and, therefore, client account 148 and/orportable media device account 158 may be incapable of storing as manydigital assets as user #1's hosted account 104. As a result, the contentstored in client account 148 and/or portable media device account 158may represent a subset of the content stored in user #1's hosted account104. Additionally or alternatively, user #1 may obtain and store content(e.g., digital assets) from sources external to the digital assethosting and distribution system 100 in client account 148 and/orportable media device account 158. Consequently, client account 148and/or portable media device account 158 may mimic user #1's hostedaccount only partially, and may include additional digital assets thatare not included in the hosted account.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that conceptually illustrates one method forcreating a dynamically generated playlist. Library of digital assets 102includes individual digital assets. Individual digital assets in thelibrary of digital assets 102 may be grouped into collections that eachinclude subsets of the digital assets available from the library ofdigital assets 102. Logic 210 generates dynamically generated playlist212 by selecting and compiling individual digital assets fromcollections 202, 204, 206, and 208 based on asset selection rules. Logic210 includes asset selection rules that may be informed by userpreferences manually entered by the user or gleaned by monitoring theuser's activity.

Collections 202, 204, 206, and 208 may represent differentclassifications of digital assets, such as, for example, genres ofmusic. For example, collection 202 may include only songs that areclassified as classical music, collection 204 may include only songsthat are classified as rock and roll music, collection 206 may includeonly songs that are classified as rhythm and blues (R&B) music, andcollection 208 may include only songs that are classified as countrymusic. The asset selection rules of logic 210 may be configured so as toconform to a user's tastes in different genres of music. If the user isfond of classical music and rock and roll but dislikes R&B and country,the user may configure the asset selection rules of logic 210 such that40% of the songs included in dynamically generated playlist 212 aredrawn from collection 202, 40% of the songs included in dynamicallygenerated playlist 212 are drawn from collection 204, 10% of the songsincluded in dynamically generated playlist 212 are drawn from collection206, and 10% of the songs included in dynamically generated playlist aredrawn from collection 208.

Additionally or alternatively, collections 202, 204, 206, and 208 mayrepresent playlists created by users of the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 or dynamically generated by the host computer101. For example, collection 202 may represent user #1's personalplaylist 136, collection 204 may represent system generated playlist140, collection 206 may represent user #2's personal playlist 142, andcollection 208 may represent system generated playlist 144. Logic 210generates the dynamically generated playlist 212 by selecting andcompiling digital assets from user #1's personal playlist 136, systemgenerated playlist 140, user #2's personal playlist 142, and systemgenerated playlist 144. In this way, one dynamically generated playlistmay be generated based, at least in part, on one or more additionaldynamically generated playlists.

Other asset selection rules are contemplated. The following process,which requires that the collections from which the individual digitalassets are drawn be ranked either by a user or the system 100, is anexemplary process for selecting individual digital assets from multiplecollections in order to dynamically generate a playlist. Individualdigital assets may be drawn from any number of collections and theresulting dynamically generated playlist may include any number ofdigital assets.

For the first position in the dynamically generated playlist, onedigital asset is selected randomly from the highest ranked collection.

For the second position in the dynamically generated playlist, onedigital asset is selected randomly from the second highest rankedcollection. If there are no eligible digital assets from thiscollection, then another digital asset is selected randomly from thehighest ranked collection. Eligible digital assets may be digital assetsthat have not already been added to the dynamically generated playlist.If there are no eligible digital assets from the highest rankedcollection, then the process may be stopped.

For the third position in the dynamically generated playlist, onedigital asset is selected randomly from the lowest ranked collection.Selecting a digital asset from the lowest ranked collection to fill thethird position may expose a user to a digital asset that the user wouldnot be exposed to otherwise, since it may be unlikely that the userwould select an asset from the lowest ranked collection. If there are noeligible digital assets from the lowest ranked collection, then onedigital asset is selected randomly from the highest ranked collection.If there are no eligible digital assets from the highest rankedcollection, then one digital asset is selected randomly from the nexthighest ranked collection containing an eligible digital asset. If thereare no eligible digital assets from any collection, the process may bestopped.

For the fourth position in the dynamically generated playlist, onedigital asset is selected randomly from the third highest rankedcollection. If there are no eligible digital assets from the thirdhighest ranked collection, one digital asset is selected randomly fromthe highest ranked collection. If there are no eligible digital assetsfrom the highest ranked collection, then one digital asset is selectedrandomly from the next highest ranked collection containing an eligibledigital asset. If there are no eligible digital assets from anycollection, the process may be stopped.

Until the dynamically generated playlist is completed or until all ofthe collections are emptied, the remaining positions in the dynamicallygenerated playlist are filled in the following manner. Collections areprocessed in a round-robin fashion starting with the highest rankedcollection and working down in descending order. One digital asset isselected randomly from each collection. If there are no eligible digitalassets from a particular collection, then the collection is skipped andthe next highest ranked collection is processed. After the lowest rankedcollection is processed, the collections are again processed in around-robin fashion starting with the highest ranked collection andworking down in descending order until all of the remaining positions inthe dynamically generated playlist are filled or until all of thecollections have been emptied.

Other processes for dynamically generating playlists are contemplated.For example, logic 210 may select and compile digital assets fordynamically generated playlists from any number of collections ofdigital assets. Furthermore, dynamically generated playlists may begenerated based on new releases, editor recommendations, the mostpopular songs available from the library of digital assets 102, and themost popular songs available within different genres available from thelibrary of digital assets 102.

FIG. 3a is a diagram of a process 300 for updating user #1's clientaccount 148 and portable media device account 158 to reflect the currentcontent in user #1's hosted account 104. Updating user #1's clientaccount 148 and/or portable media device account 158 to reflect thecontent in user #1's hosted account 104 may involve adding one or moresongs to user #1's client account 148 and/or portable media deviceaccount 158 that have been added to user #1's hosted account 104.Additionally or alternatively, updating user #1's client account 148and/or portable media device account 158 may include deleting one ormore songs from user #1's client account 148 and/or portable mediadevice account 158 that have been deleted from user #1's hosted account104.

Client application 150 sends an account update request to host computer101 (302-C). Host computer 101 receives the request for an accountupdate from client computer 146 (302-H) and downloads an account updateto client computer 146 (304-H). Client application 150 receives theaccount update (304-C) and relays the account update to the clientaccount 148 (306-CA). Client account 148 receives the account update(306-CA). Client application 150 instructs synchronization engine 152 tosynchronize the client account 148 with the portable media deviceaccount 158 (308-C). Synchronization engine 152 receives the instructionto synchronize the client account 148 with the portable media deviceaccount 158 (308-SE) and requests client account content from the clientaccount 148 (310-SE). The client account 148 receives the request forclient account content (310-CA) and transfers client account content tothe synchronization engine 152 (312-CA). The synchronization engine 152receives the client account content (312-SE) and transfers the clientaccount content to the portable media device 156 (314-SE). The portablemedia device 156 receives the client account content (314-PMD).

If portable media device 156 is not connected to client computer 146,the process 300 may terminate after operation 306-CA. If portable mediadevice 156 subsequently is connected to client computer 146, portablemedia device account 158 may be updated to reflect the most recentaccount update received by client account 148. For example, any timeportable media device 156 becomes connected to client computer 146,client application 150 may detect the connection and automaticallyinitiate the synchronization of the client account 148 with the portablemedia device account 158.

Many different events may cause client application 150 to request anaccount update. For example, when portable media device 156 becomesconnected to client computer 146, client application 150 may detect theconnection of portable media device 156 and request an account update inresponse. Alternatively, user #1 may instruct client application 150 torequest an account update. Further, client application 150 may requestan account update on a periodic basis, upon a user log-in, or upon thepowering on of client computer 146.

Other processes for updating client and/or portable media deviceaccounts are contemplated. For example, when a user's hosted account ismodified, the host computer 101 may download a corresponding update tothe user's client computer account automatically. After the update hasbeen downloaded to the client computer, the user's portable media deviceaccount may be updated by synchronizing the newly updated clientcomputer account with the portable media device account. Alternatively,the host computer 101 may automatically update a user's client computeraccount and/or portable media device account on a periodic basis or uponthe occurrence of some other triggering event.

In some implementations, client application 150 may initiate an updateto user #1's portable media device account 158 without necessarilyinitiating an update to user #1's client account 148. Client application150 may automatically initiate such updates to user #1's portable mediadevice account 158. Additionally or alternatively, client application150 may initiate such updates to user #1's portable media device account158 in response to a triggering event, such as, for example, user #1'sportable media device 156 becoming connected to client computer 146,user #1's hosted account 104 being modified, or user #1 instructingclient application 150 to initiate an update to user #1's portable mediadevice account 158. When client application 150 initiates an update ofuser #1's portable media device account 158 without simultaneouslyupdating user #1's client account 148, client computer 146 may be saidto function merely as a conduit or facilitator for the transfer ofupdates from user #1's hosted account 104 to user #1's portable mediadevice account 158.

FIG. 3b is a flow chart of an example of a process 350 for updating user#1's portable media device account 158. Portable media device 156 isconnected to client computer 146 (352). Client application 150determines that portable media device 156 has become connected to clientcomputer 146 (354). In response to determining that portable mediadevice 156 has become connected to client computer 146, clientapplication 150 automatically triggers initiation of a synchronizationof user #1's hosted account 104 with user #1's portable media deviceaccount 158 (356).

The synchronization of user #1's hosted account 104 with user #1'sportable media device account 158 may include a transfer of at least onesong from host computer 101 to client computer 146 to portable mediadevice 156, and the synchronization may be triggered and conditionedupon the determination that the portable media device 156 has becomeconnected to the client computer 146.

A user of the digital asset hosting and distribution system 100 may beable to configure certain parameters related to updating the user'sclient account and/or the user's portable media device account. Forinstance, the user may be able to set when and how often updates aredownloaded to the user's client account and/or synchronized to theuser's portable media device account. The user also may be able to setthe maximum number of digital assets to be downloaded to the user'sclient computer account during a single update and/or the maximum numberof digital assets to be synchronized to the user's portable media deviceaccount during a single update. The user also may be able to set thetotal amount of disk space allocated for the user's client accountand/or the total amount of disk space allocated for the user's portablemedia device account. The user also may be able to prioritize the orderof the digital assets and/or playlists downloaded to the user's clientaccount and/or synchronized to the user's portable media device duringan account update. Alternatively, the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 may determine and set values for parametersrelated to updating the user's client account and/or the user's portablemedia device based on, for example, resource constraints of the hostcomputer, the client computer, and/or the portable media device.

FIGS. 4a-4c are flow charts illustrating a process 400 for updating auser's client account and portable media device account. Referring toFIG. 4a , the process begins by requesting an account update (402). Inresponse to the request for an account update, playlists stored in theuser's hosted account are discovered (e.g., identified) (404). The listsdiscovered in the user's hosted account are then prioritized (406). Thelists may be prioritized automatically by the host computer 101 or thelists may be prioritized manually by the user. After the hosted listshave been prioritized, the user's client account is updated (408).

FIG. 4b illustrates the operation of updating the user's account 408 ingreater detail. The operation of updating the user's account 408 beginsby selecting the first hosted list from the prioritized lists (408 a). Adetermination is made as to whether the selected hosted list has beenupdated subsequent to the most recent client account update (408 b). Ifthe selected list has not been updated since the most recent clientaccount update, the process 400 returns to operation 408 a and selectsthe next hosted list from the prioritized lists.

If the hosted list has been updated since the most recent client accountupdate, all of the digital assets in the corresponding client accountlist are removed (408 c). The first asset in the hosted list is selected(408 d) and a determination is made as to whether the selected asset hasalready been downloaded to the client account during the current update(408 e). If the selected asset already has been downloaded to the clientaccount during the current update, a record pointing to the instance ofthe selected asset already downloaded to the client account is appendedto the appropriate position in the client list (408 f).

If the selected asset has not already been downloaded to the clientaccount during the current update, a determination is made as to whetherincluding the selected asset in the current update would cause thecurrent update to exceed the disk space allocated to the client account(408 g). If including the selected asset in the current update wouldcause the current update to exceed the disk space allocated to theclient account, the process 400 continues to operation 410.

If including the selected asset in the current update would not causethe current update to exceed the disk space allocated to the clientaccount, a determination is made as to whether the selected assetalready exists on the client (408 h). If the selected asset alreadyexists on the client, a record pointing to the instance of the selectedasset already on the client is appended to the appropriate position inthe client list (408 f).

If the selected asset does not already exist on the client, adetermination is made as to whether including the selected asset in thecurrent update would cause the maximum number of digital assets to bedownloaded during a single update to be exceeded (408 i). If includingthe selected asset in the current update would cause the maximum numberof digital assets to be downloaded during a single update to beexceeded, the process 400 continues to operation 410.

If including the selected asset in the current update would not causethe maximum number of digital assets to be downloaded during a singleupdate to be exceeded, the selected asset is downloaded to the clientaccount (408 j) and a record pointing to the downloaded asset isappended to the appropriate position in the client list (408 f).

A determination is made as to whether the selected asset is the lastasset remaining in the selected list (408 k). If the selected asset isnot the last asset remaining in the selected list, the process 400returns to operation 408 d and the next asset is selected from the list.If the selected asset is the last asset remaining in the selected list,a determination is made as to whether any hosted lists remain in theprioritized lists (408 l). If hosted lists remain in the prioritizedlists, the process 400 returns to operation 408 a and the next list isselected from the prioritized lists. If no hosted lists remain, thelists in the client account are processed (410).

FIG. 4c illustrates operation 410 in greater detail. The operation ofprocessing the lists in the client account begins by selecting the firstlist in the client account (410 a). A determination is made as towhether the selected list originated from the hosted account (410 b). Ifthe selected list did not originate from the hosted account, the process400 continues to operation 410 c.

If the selected list did originate from the hosted account, adetermination is made as to whether the list still exists in the hostedaccount (410 d). If the list no longer exists in the hosted account, theselected list is deleted from the client account (410 e) and the process400 continues to operation 410 c. Otherwise, the process continues tooperation 410 c.

Next, a determination is made as to whether the selected list is empty(i.e., contains no digital assets or no records pointing to digitalassets) (410 f). If the selected list is empty, the selected list isdeleted from the client account (410 e) and the process continues tooperation 410 c.

If the selected list is not empty, a determination is made as to whetheradditional client lists remain to be processed (410 c). If additionalclient lists remain to be processed, the process 400 returns tooperation 410 a. If all of the client lists have been processed, theprocess 400 continues to operation 412 where digital assets that exceedthe disk space allocated for the client account are deleted.

FIGS. 5a-5d are block diagrams of a digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 that conceptually illustrate building user #1'shosted account 104 and replicating or updating user #1's hosted account104 on a client computer 146 and/or a portable media device 156.

FIG. 5a illustrates a state of the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 before user #1's hosted account 104 is populatedwith digital assets. Library of digital assets 102 includes individualdigital assets 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128,130, 132, and 134. User #2's hosted account 106 includes user #2'spersonal playlist 142 and system generated playlist 144. User #2'spersonal playlist includes digital assets 120, 122, and 124 and systemgenerated playlist 144 includes digital assets 126, 128, and 130.

User #1's hosted account 104 is empty, client account 148 is empty, andportable media device account 158 is empty. User #1 may use browser 154to browse the library of digital assets and other users' hosted accounts(e.g., hosted account 106) to discover digital assets and playlists.User #1 may add discovered digital assets and playlists to his/herhosted account 104. User #1 also may subscribe to discovered playlistsor allow host computer 101 to populate user #1's hosted account 104 withplaylists that are generated dynamically by host computer 101.Additionally or alternatively, user #1 may create, build, and/orrearrange his/her own personal playlist(s).

FIG. 5b illustrates a state of the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 after user #1's hosted account 104 has beenpopulated with digital assets and playlists. User #1's hosted account104 now includes user #1's personal playlist 136, user #2's personalplaylist 138, system generated playlist 140, and individual digitalassets 130, 132, and 134. Client account 148 and portable media deviceaccount 158 remain empty.

User #1 manually created personal playlist 136 by compiling andarranging digital assets 108, 110, and 112. A copy 138 of user #2'spersonal playlist 142 appears in user #1's hosted account 104 becauseuser #1 has subscribed to user #2's personal playlist 142. Systemgenerated playlist 140 includes digital assets 116, 118, and 130 and wasgenerated dynamically by host computer 101. To create system generatedplaylist 140, host computer 101 may have drawn digital assets fromvarious collections of digital assets, including, for example, systemgenerated playlist 144. For instance, digital asset 130, included insystem generated playlist 140 may have been drawn from system generatedplaylist 144.

FIG. 5c illustrates a state of the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 after user #1's hosted account 104 has beenreplicated on client computer 146. Client account 148 reflects thecontent of user #1's hosted account 104 as of the time that user #1'shosted account 104 was replicated and includes a copy 502 of user #1'spersonal playlist 136, a copy 504 of user #2's personal playlist 142, acopy 506 of system generated playlist 140, and digital assets 130, 132,and 134. Client application 150 may initiate an update to client account148 to reflect the content of user #1's hosted account 104 in responseto detecting the connection of portable media device 156 to clientcomputer 146, in response to receiving an instruction from user #1 toupdate client account 148, or in response to some other triggeringevent. Additionally or alternatively, client application 150 mayinitiate an update to client account 148 on a periodic basis.

FIG. 5d illustrates a state of the digital asset hosting anddistribution system 100 after user #1's hosted account 104 has beenreplicated on portable media device 156. Portable media device account158 reflects the content of user #1's hosted account 104 as of the timethat user #1's hosted account 104 was replicated and includes a copy 508of user #1's personal playlist 136, a copy 510 of user #2's personalplaylist 142, a copy 512 of system generated playlist 140, and digitalassets 130, 132, and 134.

FIGS. 5a-d illustrate user #1's hosted account 104 being replicated andupdated on a single client computer 146 and a single portable mediadevice 156. However, user #1's hosted account 104 may be replicated andupdated on any number of client computers and/or portable media devices.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. Moreover, thetechniques described above are not limited to any particular hardware orsoftware configuration. Rather, they may be implemented using hardware,software, or a combination of both. The methods and processes describedmay be implemented as computer programs that are executed onprogrammable computers comprising at least one processor and at leastone data storage system. The programs may be implemented in a high-levelprogramming language and may also be implemented in assembly or otherlower level languages, if desired.

Any such program will typically be stored on a computer-usable storagemedium or device (e.g., CD-Rom, RAM, or magnetic disk). When read intothe processor of the computer and executed, the instructions of theprogram cause the programmable computer to carry out the variousoperations described above.

Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: hosting, at one or moreservers, a library of digital assets and a plurality of hosted accountscorresponding to a plurality of users with a plurality of user devices;generating, at the one or more servers, a first hosted account for afirst user of a first computing device based on user interaction withone or more digital assets of the library of digital assets hosted atthe one or more servers; monitoring, by the one or more servers,activity of the first user of the first computing device, wherein theactivity of the first user comprises: browsing at least one digitalasset of a second hosted account of a second user; and storing a digitalasset of the second hosted account of the second user in the firsthosted account of the first user; determining, by the one or moreservers, a preference of the first user based at least in part on themonitored activity of the first user, the browsed at least one digitalasset, and the stored digital asset of the second hosted account of thesecond user in the first hosted account of the first user; andgenerating, by the one or more servers, a plurality of digital assetsfor the first user that comprises one or more digital assets selectedfrom the library of digital assets based at least in part on thedetermined preference of the first user; and adding the plurality ofdigital assets for the first user that comprise the one or more digitalassets selected from the library of digital assets to the first hostedaccount of the first user such that the first user can access theplurality of digital assets utilizing the first computing device.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving preference informationexpressly supplied by the first user; and determining the preference ofthe first user based at least in part on the received preferenceinformation.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting thatthe first user is accessing one or more digital assets or searching forone or more digital assets.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining digital assets most frequently accessed by thefirst user; and determining the preference of the first user based onthe digital assets most frequently accessed by the first user, thebrowsed at least one digital asset, and the stored digital asset of thesecond hosted account of the second user in the first hosted account ofthe first user.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the digital assetsaccessed most frequently by the first user are audio files and furthercomprising: determining, based on monitored activity of the second user,audio files accessed most frequently by the second user; determining apreference of the second user based at least in part on the monitoredactivity of the second user and the audio files accessed most frequentlyby the second user; and identifying the second user of the digital assethosting and distribution system based on the determined preference ofthe second user being the same as the determined preference of the firstuser.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying one ormore search queries made by the first user.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising determining the preference of the first user based onthe one or more search queries made by the first user, the browsed atleast one digital asset, and the stored digital asset of the secondhosted account of the second user in the first hosted account of thefirst user.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored activity ofthe first user comprises at least one of searching for one or moredigital assets, playing one or more digital assets, or purchasing one ormore digital assets.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or moredigital assets comprises a song.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein thedetermined preference of the first user comprises a genre of music. 11.A method comprising: hosting, at one or more servers, a library ofdigital assets and a plurality of hosted accounts corresponding to aplurality of users with a plurality of user devices; generating, at theone or more servers, a first hosted account for a first user of a firstcomputing device based on user interaction with one or more digitalassets of the library of digital assets hosted at the one or moreservers; maintaining a first set of digital assets associated with thefirst hosted account of the first user; monitoring, by the one or moreservers, activity of a second user, wherein the activity comprises:browsing at least one digital asset from the first set of digital assetsassociated with the first hosted account of the first user; and storinga digital asset of the first set of digital assets associated with thefirst hosted account of the first user in a second hosted account of thesecond user; and compiling, by the one or more servers, a second set ofdigital assets associated with the second hosted account of the seconduser based on the monitored activity of the second user, the browsed atleast one digital asset from the first set of digital assets, and thestored digital asset of the first set of digital assets; and adding thesecond set of digital assets to the second hosted account of the seconduser such that second user can access the second set of digital assetsutilizing a second computing device.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: determining a preference of the second user; and selectingthe second set of digital assets from the first set of digital assetsbased at least in part on the preference of the second user.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: referencing preferenceinformation expressly supplied by the second user; and generating thepreference of the second user based at least in part on the referencedpreference information.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:determining, based on the monitored activity of the second user, digitalassets from the first set of digital assets played most frequently bythe second user; and compiling, by the one or more servers, the secondset of digital assets based on the monitored activity of the seconduser, the digital assets from the first set of digital assets playedmost frequently by the second user, the browsed at least one digitalasset from the first set of digital assets, and the stored digital assetof the first set of digital assets.
 15. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: detecting a link between the first user and the second user;and selecting the second set of digital assets from the first set ofdigital assets based at least in part on the detected link.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the link between the first user and thesecond user comprises the second user being subscribed to one or moreplaylists associated with the first user.
 17. The method of claim 11,wherein the one or more digital assets comprises one of a text file,audio file, picture file, or video file.
 18. A method comprising:hosting, at one or more servers, a library of digital assets and aplurality of hosted accounts corresponding to a plurality of users witha plurality of user devices; generating, at the one or more servers, afirst hosted account for a first user of a first computing device basedon user interaction with one or more digital assets of the library ofdigital assets hosted at the one or more servers; receiving from thefirst user a request to automatically generate a set of digital assetsassociated with the first hosted account of the first user; monitoring,by the one or more servers, activity of the first user, wherein theactivity of the first user comprises: browsing at least one digitalasset of a second hosted account of a second user; and storing a digitalasset of the second hosted account of the second user in the firsthosted account of the first user; identifying, by the one or moreservers, one or more digital assets from the library of digital assets,wherein the identified one or more digital assets satisfy one or moreasset selection rules and wherein the one or more asset selection rulesare based on the browsed at least one digital asset and the storeddigital asset of the second hosted account of the second user in thefirst hosted account of the first user; and adding the identified one ormore digital assets to the set of digital assets based on the one ormore digital assets satisfying the one or more asset selection rulessuch that the first user can access the set of digital assets utilizingthe first computing device.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein: thelibrary of digital assets comprises audio files; and browsing the atleast one digital asset of the second hosted account of the second usercomprises browsing at least one audio file of the second hosted accountof the second user.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:identifying one or more attributes associated with each digital asset inthe library of digital assets; and generating the one or more assetselection rules based on the one or more identified attributes.
 21. Themethod of claim 19, further comprising: determining, based on monitoredactivity of the first user, audio files played most frequently by thefirst user; and compiling the second set of digital assets based atleast in part on the audio files played most frequently by the firstuser.
 22. The method of claim 18, further comprising: identifying one ormore search queries made by the first user; and generating the one ormore asset selection rules based on the identified one or more searchqueries.
 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising indexing the setof digital assets for future access by the first user.
 24. A systemcomprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing instructions thereon that, whenexecuted, cause the at least one processor to: host, at one or moreservers, a library of digital assets and a plurality of hosted accountscorresponding to a plurality of users with a plurality of user devices;generate, at the one or more servers, a first hosted account of a firstuser of a first computing device and a second hosted account of a seconduser of a second computing device; maintain a first set of digitalassets associated with the first hosted account of the first user;monitor, by the one or more servers, activity of the second user,wherein the activity comprises: browsing at least one digital asset fromthe first set of digital assets associated with the first hosted accountof the first user; and storing a digital asset of the first set ofdigital assets associated with the first hosted account of the firstuser in the second hosted account of the second user; and compile asecond set of digital assets associated with the second hosted accountof the second user based on the monitored activity of the second user,the browsed at least one digital asset from the first set of digitalassets, and the stored digital asset of the first set of digital assets;and add the second set of digital assets to the second hosted account ofthe second user such that second user can access the second set ofdigital assets utilizing the second computing device.